Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



y J. s. ADAMS. i A l Breach-Loading Fire-Arm.

No. 391,455. v ,Patented Aug. 11, 17863 UNITED STATES JOHN s. ADAMs,

PATENT OFFICE.,

OF TAUN TON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

.T0 all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN S. ADAus, of Taunton, in the county of Bristoland State of .Massachusetts, have invented certain new and B usefulImprovements in Breech-Loading Fire- Arms; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section ofthe frame, the movable chambered breech, and part of the barrel of aiire-arm with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, partly insection. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the same. Fig. 4 isa side view of the movable chambered breech.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severaliigures.v

This invention consists in a certain mode of pivoting a movable breechor cartridgeblock within the frame of a re-arm, whereby facility isafforded for taking it out for cleaning or for any other purpose.

It also consists in certain means of tightening up the movable breech orcartridge-block between the barrel and the back of the frame, for takingup the wear of the joints; and it further consists in so constructingthe sight and applying the same, in combination with a movable4chambered breech, as to make it serve as a rammer for ramming thecartridge or ball into the chamber.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the frame, made with a parallel-sided opening, a, for the receptionof the movable chambered breech or cartridge-block B, which is pivotedat about the middle of its length to the sides of the frame, and theends of which, as well as the ends of the opening a in the frame, arerounded concentric with the axis of the pivots o1 the breech B. Thesepivots consist of two rings, b b, which are fittedl to annular recessesb b', formed for their reception in the sides of the breech B, and intocircular recesses e e, formed for their reception in the frame at theside of the opening a, and which, when the breech is in its place, arereceived partly within the breech and partly within the frame, as shownin Fig. 3. These rings need not be more than a sixteenth ofan inch indepth, measured parallel with their axes, and the annular recesses b bin the breech need be but of very little, if any, greater depth. At theback of the recesses b there are formed in the breech small deeperrecesses for the reception of spiral springs c c, which press the ringsoutward from the breech, but which are prevented from pressing them morethan half-way out by means of countersunk screws Z d, screwed into thebreech. The recesses e e in the frame are made deep enough to receivethe flanges f f of what I term false trunnions f f, which are fitted toholes drilled through the sides of the frame. To take out the breech, itis first opened by pulling down the rigidly-attachedtrigger-guard'flever C, as shown in red outline in Fig. l, far enough toremove its rounded ends from the corresponding rounded ends oftheopening a ofthe frame, and then, while the lever C is held by one hand,the protruding ends of the two trunnions ff are pressed inward by thethumb and finger of the other hand, and by that means the flanges f for" the trunnions are caused to press the rings b b entirely into theannular recesses b b', and the breech is then free to be drawn out fromthe frame. To replace the breech, the rings are pressed into therecesses b b by the thumb and finger of one hand, while the breech isinserted far enough into the frame to prevent them from slipping out,andthe breech is then pushed into its place, and on the arrival of therings opposite the recesses b b they are forced thereinto by the springsc c. To prevent the false trunnions from dropping into the opening ofthe frame when the breech is removed, there are screws g g, Fig. 3,screwed into the ilanges of the trunnions through grooves in the outerportions of the trunnionbearings in the frame, and these screws alsoserve to prevent the trunnions from turning.

D is the gas-ring, fitted into a countersunk recess, 71 formed aroundthe chamber i, in front of the breech B. The external periphery of thisring is of cylindrical form, and its interior of corresponding form andof the same caliber as the chamber. Its front or outer face is made toconform to the front of the chamber, and its back is hollowed out, asshown in Fig. l, to make it present a thin edge at its j unction withthe outer periphery. When the recess h, and thereby effectually preventany gas from passing the ring and escaping between. the chamber and thebarrel.

To provide for the tightening up of the movable breech between thebarrel and the rear end of the opening a in the frame, where therecoiLis receivedgthe breech is made with a separate packing piece, 7c,of steel or otherV metal, which is secured to the principal portion B bymeans of screws l', with countersunk heads. Half in the principalportion B and half in the piece k there are drilled two taper holes, oneon each side of the breech, and these holes are tapped for the receptionof two taper screws, m m, which are screwed thereinto. When it isdesired to tighten up the breech and take up the wear, the screws Z Zare slightly slackened and the screws m m screwed in, and the latterscrews, acting as wedges, force apart the pieces B and 7c as much asnecessary to produce the requisite elongation of the breech.

E is a sight, of the construction commonly known as guide-sight,77 butmade much heavier, to give it the requisite strength to be used as arammer, and extended to a greater length, as-shown at n, to give it therequisite leverage for ramming. This sight is attached to the frame A bya pin or hinge-joint, r, and fitted with the usual adjustable slide, p,and also has rigidly attached to it a cup, q, for the reception of thepoints of the bullets. In loading, the breech is moved by the lever C topresent the mouth of the chamber above the frame A; and when thecartridge or the powder and ball have been inserted the sight E ispulled'back to bring the cup g upon the point of the ball, as shown inred outline in Fig. 1,

and made to ram it into the chamber i, which is caused, by a suitableconstruction of the breech, breech-lever, and frame, to stop in therequisite position for such operation of the sight, in which the pin orhinge r constitutes the fulcrum upon which the sight acts as a lever.

rlhe cup q has provided in it a hole, q,which, when the sight E 'is laiddown upon the barrel, as shown in black outline in Fig. 1, serves forsighting at point-blank or short range. The slide p is so arranged as tocome in contact with the top ofthebarrel, and by giving the groove s,

Vprovided infthe inside of the said sight furthe said slide to work in,a slight inclination, as shown in Fig. 1, the movement ofthe slide alongthe barrel will lproduce a very delicate adjustment of the hole q', foralonger or shorter range. To prevent the slide from moving too easily inthe grooves s, it is fitted with asmall piston-like pin, which ispressed into one of the grooves by a spiral spring within the slide.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The .pivoting of the breech within the frame by means of the rings bb, or their equivalents, having combined with them the springs c c andthe false trunnions f f, the whole applied and operating substantiallyherein as set forth.

2. The packing-piece k, combined with the movable breech by means of thetaper screws m m, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.e

. 3. So constructing and applying the sight E that it constitutes arammer to operate in combination with a movable chambered breech,substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

JOHN s. ADAMS.

Witnesses:

LEONARD BURT, OsoAR O. AnAMs.

